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HURRICANE HARVEY

Our hearts go out to those who are suffering because of the hurricane itself and the floods that have occurred in its aftermath.

Union members in the area should be aware that the MM&P Houston Hall is closed until further notice. Members can contact the Tampa Hall in the meantime: 813-247-2164 or tampa@bridgedeck.org.

MM&P provides assistance to members in distress through various beneficial funds.

Members in good standing with MM&P who have been affected by Hurricane Harvey should contact International Secretary-Treasurer Steve Werse at sec-treas@bridgedeck.org for information on how to petition for assistance from one of these funds.

Other members, please consider making a contribution to the MM&P Members Welfare Fund.

You can make a contribution by credit card on our website:

http://bridgedeck.org/members-welfare-plan-donation/

To make a contribution by check, please make your check payable to the MM&P Members Welfare Fund and send it to:

MARITIME UNIONS MEET WITH U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY AND MARITIME ADMINISTRATOR

MM&P President Donald Marcus and officials of three other maritime unions met with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao and Maritime Administrator Mark Buzby on Aug. 29.

“All present voiced their appreciation for the support that the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Maritime Administration give to the U.S. Merchant Marine,” Marcus said.

The meeting, which was held at DOT headquarters, also included past Maritime Administrator William Schubert, President Gunnar Lundeberg of the Sailors’ Union of the Pacific, President Marshall Ainley of the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association and President Paul Doell of the American Maritime Officers.

In the aftermath of the collision of the USS JOHN MCCAIN with a containership on Aug. 21, the Navy said last week it had suspended the search for eight missing sailors. The remains of two other sailors were recovered.

The Navy also said it had relieved of duty Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet in Yokosuka, Japan, due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command.

The USS JOHN S. MCCAIN was passing east of the Strait of Malacca on its way to a port visit in Singapore when it collided at 0524 local time with the ALNIC MC, a Liberian-flagged oil and chemical tanker.

Aucoin, a three-star commander, had been scheduled to retire in a few weeks.

Rear Adm. Phil Sawyer, who had already been nominated and confirmed for the position and promotion to vice admiral, immediately assumed command of the 7th Fleet.

Besides the recent accident, there have been three other incidents involving U.S. Navy vessels in the region this year: the USS FITZGERALD collided with a container ship off the coast of Japan in June, killing seven sailors; the USS LAKE CHAMPLAIN hit a South Korean fishing boat in May; and the USS ANTIETAM ran aground off the coast of Japan in January.

Adm. John Richardson, U.S. Navy Chief of Naval Operations, has called for a global operational pause after the last incident as well as a comprehensive review of Navy operations.

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE URGES NAVY TO ADDRESS IMPACT ON READINESS OF AGING FLEET

The Navy should not wait until 2019 to finalize its recapitalization plan, according to a study released last week by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

Waiting longer could compromise readiness, the study found, in particular because both the surge sealift fleet and the combat logistics fleet are aging, with an increasing number of “mission-limiting equipment casualties,” or incidents of degraded or out-of-service equipment, and maintenance taking significantly longer than planned.

The fleets assessed for the study include the Ready Reserve Force (RRF) and Military Sealift Command-contracted vessels, as well as the MSC civilian mariner-crewed vessels that support Navy ships around the globe.

The Navy has concurred with GAO’s recommendations.

The readiness of both the surge sealift and the combat logistics fleets “has trended downward” since 2012, the study found.

The average age of the ships in the surge sealift fleet is nearly 40 years, and the number of surge sealift ships reaching the end of their programmed service lives over the next 10 years will reduce sealift capacity by over 25 percent, according to the report.

“Without effective capital planning to ensure the availability of surge sealift capability, the equipment and supplies needed by the Army, Marine Corps and other forces may not arrive when needed, potentially hindering U.S. operations,” the agency says.

In addition, although the Navy is now planning for ships to travel farther to support “a more distributed fleet,” it has not assessed the impact of such demands on the number and type of combat logistics ships it will need, GAO said.

The study concluded that waiting until 2019 or 2020 to conduct an assessment “could result in poor investment decisions as the Navy works to modernize its fleet.”

MLA AND TTD EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR MEBA IN DISPUTE WITH LIBERTY MARITIME

The Maritime Labor Alliance (MLA) unions and the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department (TTD) have expressed their support for the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA) in its dispute with Liberty Maritime over the manning of a new Liberty vessel, the MV LIBERTY PEACE.

“We are compelled to express our extreme disapproval of the manning of the new Liberty vessel, the MV LIBERTY PEACE, with licensed deck and engineering officers that are not MEBA and the manner in which Liberty Maritime/Liberty Global Logistics is treating these same officers who are responsible for the success of Liberty’s United States operations,” the MLA unions wrote in an Aug. 25 letter to the company.

“We demand your immediate reversal and a correction of your actions to honor the valid collective bargaining agreement in place with MEBA,” they added.

The MLA member unions are: the American Radio Association, the Inland Boatmen’s Union, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, the International Longshoremen’s Association, the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association and Masters, Mates & Pilots.

TTD has also called on Liberty Maritime to adhere to the agreed-upon terms and conditions of the collective bargaining agreement.

MITAGS-PMI SEEKS PART-TIME ASSISTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTOR

MITAGS-PMI is seeking a part-time assistant safety instructor to work at the PMI campus in Seattle.

Under supervision of the PMI lead marine safety instructor, the part-time instructor provides classroom and hands-on training in the fire trainer and in the pool, relating to marine firefighting, damage control, at-sea personal survival techniques, first aid and HAZWOPER. The part-time instructor also assists in managing training equipment for hands-on exercises.

The major duties and responsibilities of this position are: deliver Coast Guard-approved courses in areas of marine safety, firefighting, personal survival and other courses as approved/desired; set-up field training facilities; ensure training aids are present and serviceable; advise lead instructor of any unique requirements in any given class, potential problems or impediments to training.

/ MITAGS ACADEMIC NOTES /

MITAGS needs your current address! Have you moved recently? Did you remember to send MITAGS your new address for communications regarding courses? Please send your current contact information to admissions@mitags.org or to the fax number below. New dedicated fax line for Admissions only: 1-443-568-1928. For all other MITAGS business, please continue to use: 410-859-5181.

For class availability or information on MITAGS courses and programs, contact Amanda Meadows, Admissions Coordinator, toll-free at 866-656-5568 or by e-mail: admissions@mitags.org.